Naylor: Alouettes own Tebow's CFL rights, would welcome QB

If Tim Tebow decides he wants to take his talents north of the border, the Montreal Alouettes would roll-out the welcome mat for him.

But anyone hoping to see a rerun of Tebowmania that gripped the NFL two seasons ago may have to wait a while.

The Alouettes plan for Tebow, at least initially, would be similar to the backup role he fulfilled with the New York Jets, rather than the starring role he had with the Denver Broncos.

"If he wants to come to Canada he would be in the same situation as the one he was in with New York," said Montreal general manager Jim Popp. "He can come here and compete to be the backup to Anthony Calvillo and learn the game, just like Jeff Garcia did (behind Doug Flutie). And one day he might be the guy; that's our vision. He can learn from the best."

Popp said he had no plans to contact Tebow's representatives and assumes the quarterback will try to exhaust all NFL options before turning his attention to Canada.

He added that new Alouettes head coach Dan Hawkins, like previous coach Marc Trestman, is a fan of Tebow, which is why his rights remain on Montreal's negotiation list.

"If (Tebow) wants to come to Canada he will reach out to us," said Popp. "And if he wants to come to Canada we would take a look at him."

The Alouettes also own the rights to former NFL starter Vince Young, but Popp said it has been two or three months since he has had any conversations with his representitives.